THE BATTLEFORDS ‑ The Kiwanis Battlefords Music Festival is underway but it’s not too late to catch some sessions. Piano sessions begin Thursday morning at 9 a.m. in the Gordon Tootoosis Theater at the Dekker Centre. The afternoon session starts at 1:30 p.m. Both these sessions are filled with some of our youngest performers if you want to catch some budding talent.
Friday at 9 a.m. is all about Baroque music from performers of all ages followed by a variety of recital selections and solos. The afternoon session, beginning at 1:30 p.m. has classes ranging from sight reading for 18 years old or younger to recital pieces nine years and younger.
At the evening session, beginning at 7 p.m., expect romantic music of Chopin and ensembles of duets between parent and child, culminating with a concerto entry. Piano sessions continue Saturday morning March 26 at 9 a.m. with sonatas and sonatinas followed by 20th or 21st century compositions for piano solo. If you enjoy ragtime, jazz, blues, or popular music for piano, the afternoon and final piano session at 1:30 pm is for you.
The piano adjudicator is Lynn Ewing, a native of Saskatchewan. She has taught piano, music theory and singing for many years in Saskatoon and also enjoys performing both as singer and as pianist. She works as a music adjudicator in western Canada and has examined for Conservatory Canada.
If you are interested in hearing local string students, Monday, March 28 at the Dekker Centre at 9 a.m. starts with youngest strings performers continuing up through senior performers by the end of the morning ending with fiddling classes. The afternoon session at 1:30 p.m. begins with a senior brass participant, followed by a snare drum solo, trombone solo, trumpet solo and woodwind solo. Further making for an interesting afternoon, these sessions are followed by jazz entries and a father-son duet.
Tuesday morning, the adjudicator begins a day-long adventure of travelling from school to school to hear school ensembles. Schools on his itinerary include John Paul II, EMBM, Holy Family, Notre Dame and North Battleford Comprehension High School. The final band session Tuesday evening sees a venue change to the Kinsman City Band Hall. Expect at this session, starting at 7 p.m., a session mallet solo, the adult community band, a senior percussion solo and a senior brass solo.
This year’s band adjudicator is Mark Ward. Currently living in Medicine Hat, Alta., Ward has degrees from Western University in Ontario, University of Lethbridge, Alta., and a master’s degree in trumpet performance from the University of Victoria, B.C., where he studied trumpet, conducting and music education. He has participated in workshops and brass master classes with world renowned teachers.
All festival sessions are open to the public. Donations towards festival expenses are gratefully accepted at the door of venues. Dekker Centre policy requires everyone to wear a mask while in the venue, excepting performers on stage.
When coming out to support young musicians from our community, please keep good performance manners and etiquette in mind. Participants and audience members are expected to stay seated in the theatre during performance. It.’s usually best to be seated at the beginning of the session and leave once the adjudicator has given his or her remarks. While enjoying the extensive talent being nurtured in the Battlefords area, remember that performers have one opportunity to showcase their work. Ensure you are not responsible for distractions such as ringing or vibrating cell phones, whispering amid a performance or entering or leaving the room during a performance.
Festival programs can be purchased at Sobeys. There will be a livestream of festival performances that can be accessed from the link found on the Dekker Centre home page. The culminating gala is scheduled for Tuesday, April 5 at the Dekker Centre. The evening will feature outstanding performances and highlights chosen by adjudicators along with the presentation of awards. The performers who are chosen will be invited to a rehearsal on Tuesday afternoon at the Dekker Centre. There is $10 ticket fee for the gala concert.
As a teenager living during pre-internet, pre-cable TV, I remember looking forward to watching “The Monkees” on CTV, if it was a clear day in Swift Current and we could pick up CTV from Moose Jaw with the antennae on our roof.
"I never feel like I have to hang on to the music. I don't expect that the music will go away." – Michael Nesmith from The Monkees (1942 – 2021)
